


Three Photographs

by Skyeec2



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Lack of Communication, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 02:45:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14439795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyeec2/pseuds/Skyeec2
Summary: Three photographs.Three photographs on three accounts. Each one showing a different image, a different story, a different relationship. But through the three images across the three accounts, a single thing was apparent, a single truth declared proudly to any with the brains enough to make the connection.A declaration of unity, of connection, of love.But, things had not been easy to get to the perfect time, place, scenario for those three images. No, fear, hurt, anger and confusion had threatened to burn the images before they could truly develop, threatened to leave the three individuals within adrift from each other in the overwhelming current of life.But thankfully, things had fallen into place for the three. So those hazy pictures weren’t reality and the truth of the moment was forever reserved in ink and paper, pixels and memory, preserved and held in place.





	Three Photographs

**Author's Note:**

> This is a weird one. I like it. Hope it's ok! Probably ain't gonna write anything like this again.  
> This was based on an idea in the Discord that I stole for my own.

_Three photographs._

_Three photographs on three accounts. Each one showing a different image, a different story, a different relationship. But through the three images across the three accounts, a single thing was apparent, a single truth declared proudly to any with the brains enough to make the connection._

_A declaration of unity, of connection, of love._

_But, things had not been easy to get to the perfect time, place, scenario for those three images. No, fear, hurt, anger and confusion had threatened to burn the images before they could truly develop, threatened to leave the three individuals within adrift from each other in the overwhelming current of life._

_But thankfully, things had fallen into place for the three. So those hazy pictures weren’t reality and the truth of the moment was forever reserved in ink and paper, pixels and memory, preserved and held in place._

* * *

 

Cloud was a nervous young man, slim, fragile and blond, having left his cold, clear, quaint mountain village for the cruel, decay of the giant metal city with dreams of becoming a hero, becoming worthy to stand beside the greats, he despaired the lot he was dealt. To be something less than fodder was not something he’d ever wished for himself, but life was not always kind, was not always fair, and more often than not life handed you the thing you’d never wanted for yourself and expected you to be grateful.

Being the bottom of the bottom, the lowest of the low within the Shinra corporation, was something Cloud hated with everything he had. Made all the worse by the fact by the simple fact he was turned away from the position he wanted by the fact that he did not fit their desired body type.

If it had been because he couldn’t keep up or was medically unfit then Cloud would have accepted his dues and found contentedness with his new lot in life, but something about being denied what he was working harder than anyone in his class for simply because he was too short, too slim, left him enraged. Shinra hadn’t even cared about his results or how well he was doing in the classes, only that he was 5’5” with lithe muscle and a brain between his ears instead of the 6’ muscle-bound morons they so obviously preferred.

Cloud held his anger in his heart, carrying it with him throughout his day and becoming more and more disenchanted with the glamour of the city and most importantly Shinra and those that worked for it. If he had his choice, then he would turn back time to before he’d left Nibelheim and stop his younger self from leaving, from signing his life away to Shinra and ending up as angry as he was.

Maybe that was why he didn’t care as much as he should have when he took a picture only to have General Sephiroth prominent in the background, though he was focused on something in his hands and not looking anywhere near Cloud or the camera of his phone. Cloud blinked at the photo, debating with himself for a moment before shrugging and posting it anyway.

He looked good and he wasn’t going to let some photobombing giant ruin his perfect picture, he uploaded it and tucked his phone away for the rest of the day, ignoring it easily as he fell into the mind-numbing drone that was his shift. When he returned back to the room he shared with his squad members he continued to ignore his phone but pulling his uniform from his body as quickly as he could and leaving it on the floor of his bedroom as he climbed into a shower, washing the dull haze away and forgetting everything for a few minutes.

He felt much better once he emerged from the hot water, one of the few boons of working for Shinra; actual heated-water, and was more prepared to face the rest of the day. Cloud pulled his phone from the pocket of his pants to set it to charge before surrendering to the call of the couch and the cartoon he had been working his way, only to stop when it buzzed with a notification, one of many he’d received while he’d been working.

Opening the app showed him that most of the notifications had been exactly as he’d expected they’d be; angry and disbelieving remarks for the Silver Elite and people saying he wasn’t worthy to be standing next to Sephiroth and shouldn’t pretend to be close.

Not that he had, no, in fact his post had just been his photo and a line stating that he was on his way to his shift for the day. He turned off notifications before closing the app, not seeing the angry remark of a different nature.

He abandoned his phone to where he left it to charge, collapsing onto the comfy, third hand couch with a familiar blanket and remote close at hand. He proceeded to ignore the rest of the world for the evening, unaware of the offense his photo had caused.

* * *

 

Genesis Rhapsodos was a proud creature, he’d admit that freely. He was a creature of free, overwhelming emotions; anger and joy, sorrow and hurt each took over his senses when he felt them, tinging his logical mind and leaving him at the whims of his instincts as he worked through them.

He’d hurt more than one person during those moments, burned and destroyed bridges without a second thought in the moment only to put them back up rickety and unstable, ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice once the emotions had passed. He’d been working on fixing that about himself, on making himself more reasonable and less likely to be swept up in the overwhelming swell of his emotions, but it was hard.

It was made harder by the everyday slights against him by the Shinra cooperation; being passed over for missions and assignments, the lower classes not respecting his commands and even backtalking him at time, not to mention the constant downplay of his skills and abilities. His strides were only made worse by the discovery that Sephiroth had allowed himself to be captured in a photo with some no-name pretty boy while he wouldn’t even take one with Genesis despite their numerous years of intimacy with each other.

He hadn’t been able to help his initial reaction to the image, a scathing comment lost amongst hundreds of other similar ones, but he had kept himself from confronting Sephiroth about it, allowing himself time to breath and process the information he had before he let his hurt get away from him. And it was hurt; hurt that Sephiroth would allow this with a stranger when he wouldn’t with Genesis, who’d been his lover for years.

Or at least, he’d believed himself to be, perhaps Sephiroth hadn’t felt the same? Hadn’t believed Genesis worthy enough of that status? Oh, how cruel the man was, leading him on in his thoughts that he cared about him the way Genesis did, that their moments together were more than simply physical release, that…

He forced himself to take deep breaths, in and out in a steady, even rhythm, just like he’d been taught. He couldn’t let himself become a vessel for his torrential emotions, that wouldn’t help, and he’d only feel all the worse for it later.

Really, he wanted to retreat to his rooms, cradle his hurt heart and nurse his wounded pride until he could face the other without feeling like he’d break down and attack him. But he was an adult, with adult responsibilities despite the childish light the rest of the company attempted to paint him in, he could handle being around the other man until he was free to retreat to the safety and comfort of his rooms.

He… couldn’t bring himself to bring it up to the other, couldn’t bring himself to give voice to the worry and fear he felt standing across from him knowing that he didn’t want to be in a photo with him but was perfectly fine with having one with _some stranger_. Genesis thought he’d put up a good façade for the other, hiding his hurt within himself as he handled what he needed to that day.

When Genesis left Sephiroth’s office, he was unaware of the concern within the other man’s chest at his unusually subdued demeanour and the green eyes that remained fixed on him as he left the office, heading straight to his own rooms for a reprieve.

* * *

 

Cloud found himself constantly having a silver shadow in his photos, and constantly found himself unable to care too much about that as he posted them up anyways, his squad members were having a fun time teasing him about it, but Cloud didn’t care too much. It was really hard to care about the sudden influx of photos of one of the most beautiful people in Midgar on his phone when he was focused more keeping himself in line and working as well as he could to avoid reprimand or discipline.

So, he continued as he ever did; doing the best he could in a position he’d long been disillusioned too and returning afterwards to the things he actually enjoyed about his life, curling up on the couch with some cartoons or spending time with his friends now that he had them.

And if he was constantly getting a stream of pictures with the General in odd places then who was he to complain? It wasn’t like it’d stop the man.

* * *

 

Genesis wished that Sephiroth would stop this… whatever he was doing, he just couldn’t handle it anymore.

He’d renewed his efforts to get a photo with the other, anything just to prove that he was as important as the stranger the other kept in place for but no matter what he was doing or how stealthy he was in his attempts, the other always evaded him, leaving him with nothing but awkwardly empty frames that he had no use for. Angeal called him childish for acting as he did but Genesis didn’t pay him any mind, Angeal hadn’t ever had to worry about his place in the company in their friend’s life, he wasn’t like Genesis.

Angeal had had SOLDIER First Class handed to him, Genesis had had to claw his way here.

Perhaps Sephiroth recognized that, recognized that he didn’t really _need_ Genesis’ company and would be better off without him.

He gave up on getting a photo with the other man, deciding it a lost cause.

* * *

 

Cloud decided that General Sephiroth was a weirdo; a decision that, if spoken aloud in the wrong company, could gain him several hundreds of enemies. But it was a decision he stood behind.

Why did he think that?

The man was photobombing him on purpose, there was no other thing for it. The General kept showing up in his photos, each and every one of them, even when the man hadn’t been anywhere near him.

The latest photo had been the icing on the cake of his decision, he hadn’t posted it yet because it was so _weird_.

The General was far too close for comfort in the photo, or he would have been if Cloud still didn’t have the worst crush on the weirdo, standing only a few steps away from him and seemingly _looking_ at him. Cloud had been staring at the photo for about ten minutes, debating with himself silently before shrugging and posting the image.

He had other things to focus on today.

* * *

 

Genesis nearly wept in his office when he saw the latest post from the little blond Sephiroth had been appearing in the photos of, he couldn’t delude himself into thinking that Sephiroth had no idea what he was doing anymore. Not with the evidence right in front of him like it was.

He went to his own post with Sephiroth, the other had been kind enough to give him the one even if it was only of their booted feet next to each other. Sephiroth had surprised him by taking his phone from his hand and taking it himself before leaving him to deal with his shock with nothing more than a kiss on his cheek.

Genesis had stared at the photo for hours, relieved despite himself, before posting it. The backlash had been harsh and immediate, nothing like the little blond was receiving.

And that Sephiroth was willing do this…

Genesis just couldn’t handle this anymore.

He started to distance himself from the other man, something he was sure that Sephiroth noticed even with his lacking in social abilities, avoiding calls, waving off spending time together, he’d even turned down the chance to spar, just the two of them, something he’d have never done otherwise.

He just, couldn’t take it at the moment.

* * *

 

Cloud would like to make it known that he is, on principle, very much _not_ ok with being picked up and carried around like a child. He was of course, making an acceptance today because _the_ General Sephiroth was over a foot taller than he was and bound in muscles and enhanced strength to boot.

That was justification enough for how he’d essentially gone limp in the man’s hold instead of struggling like he usually would have, if this was going to be the day he died then he wasn’t going to flail uselessly in a manacle tight hold like some kind of fish out of water. He had a bit more self-respect than that.

He did get a photo of the man carrying him though, ‘being carried off to my doom’ he captioned it as he was carried from his post and into one of the elevators. Neither he nor Sephiroth spoke during the ride up, Cloud should have been feeling something like dread or worry but really he was more concerned with looking out at the city of Midgar through the glass wall of the elevator, really who’s choice was this? It didn’t seem like the smartest design choice for an elevator. But then again, what did Cloud know? He wasn’t anything more than some mountain hick.

The General remained silent as he carried him down a long corridor to a door labelled with cursive lettering, not even pausing to knock before entering. There was enough time for Cloud to notice someone sitting on the couch with a book in his hands, and for them to look up in shock and start to say something before the General just dropped Cloud down onto him.

Cloud really didn’t know how to deal with this. He was sitting in Commander Rhapsodos’ lap on what was most likely the couch of his living room, and he had no idea how to handle this. The Commander looked terrible though, the large dark circles under his eyes drawing more attention to his too-pale skin.

They stared at each other in shock for several minutes, Cloud noticing that there were faint tear-tracks on the other’s face before the SOLDIER turned his attention to the General.

* * *

 

As if the photo issue wasn’t enough, now Sephiroth was presenting his little stranger to him, dropping him into his lap like a cat with a prize. What games was the other playing at? He’d sequestered himself in his apartment for a reason, he didn’t want to deal with any of this today.

He just, wanted to forget that Sephiroth would rather be seen with some stranger than with Genesis, if only for a little while. Why couldn’t Sephiroth had just let him do that?

He would admit that the blond was pretty to look at, he’d never denied that, he could see why Sephiroth was interested in him. He just, wished he wasn’t, and if was truly unavoidable, then perhaps the other man could’ve been a bit kinder to him.

He tore his gaze from big, guileless sky blues and turned to Sephiroth, taking in the small nervous twitch of his hands and how stiff he stood beside them before speaking. “What is the meaning of this, General? I was very clear when I said I didn’t wish to be disturbed the rest of the day.”

He’d followed the protocols and all, arranging to have his work, what little Shinra allowed him to have control over, to his apartment so he could work in peace in the security of his own home, undisturbed by anyone. Sephiroth shouldn’t have come in here at all, the other knew that, this wasn’t the first time Genesis had taken advantage of this particular advantage, set in place by one of the Department heads and allowed to all of them after more than one complaint.

Sephiroth didn’t answer him, just pulled out his own phone and took a picture of the two of them like that, the blond trooper sitting in Genesis’ lap with his arm wrapped around him to keep him from falling to the floor. He didn’t something on his phone before coming closer and showing them the finished result; a post of them together with…

‘My Precious People’ was Sephiroth making some kind of joke out of this?

Genesis could feel his fists tightening in the trooper’s uniform, anger and exhaustion bringing tears to his eyes. Thankfully the trooper spoke up before he could shout at the other man in the room.

* * *

 

“You know there’s better ways to ask someone out right?”

General Sephiroth was definitely a weirdo, one that obviously had no idea how people worked if he couldn’t see just how much he’d been hurting the man Cloud was still sitting on. A man that seemed so much closer to losing it and breaking down in anger and hurt again, something Cloud definitely didn’t want to see, at least not while he was being held to him.

The General at least seemed chastised at his words, curling into himself the slightest amount and dipping his head so his features were obscured by long silver stands of hair.

“I’m sorry,” Sephiroth breathed, stiff and tense and entirely too genuine for Cloud to deal with then. “I’m, only making things worse.”

“No, duh,” Cloud breathed, turning away from him and back to the man he was sitting on. His teeth were clenched, lip trapped taunt between them, and eyes screwed shut as he forced himself to take steady breaths.

Cloud found himself worried about the other man, he certainly wasn’t happy with what was going on. Not that Cloud blamed him, of course. He couldn’t imagine what the other had been thinking all this while.

“He really fucked up didn’t he?” Cloud asked softly, addressing Commander Rhapsodos directly.

A single wet, electric-blue eye opened for him, looking at him wearily before the other nodded, teeth releasing his lip enough to speak. “He certainly did.”

“I’ll do it better then,” Cloud declared, lifting one of his hands towards the other man in an open invitation of a handshake. “Hi, I’m Cloud Strife. I’m single and I think your boyfriend wants us all to date.”

Cloud swore Sephiroth was pouting behind his hair, but he couldn’t be sure because his attention was captured by the melodious laugh of the man he was still sitting on. His hand was taken in a slim one, marred by oddly smooth callouses, and shaken in a strong, confident grip.

“I’m Genesis, Genesis Rhapsodos,” was the other’s response, words coloured by a wet, shaky smile. “It would appear that way, though I wish he wound have informed me of that fact.” The last words were accompanied by a angry glare turned towards the General, who’d since sat on the other side of the couch from them, causing him to flinch into himself a bit more.

“I’m sorry,” Sephiroth repeated again, looking properly chastised. “I’ll do better next time.”

“If you don’t then you’ll regret it,” Genesis promised before turning back to Cloud, cocking his head at him curiously. “I hope you enjoy Wutainese, because that’s what I’m ordering.”

“If it’s edible I’ll eat it,” Cloud shrugged, really, anything’d be better than the stuff they got in the Shinra cafeteria.

“Good,” Genesis said, though he tightened his grip on Cloud and leaned further back against the couch behind him. “Sephiroth go get the menu for me, it’s in the kitchen.”

“Ok,” and the General just, got up and _did_ it. No questions asked. Cloud must’ve been staring after the other man because Genesis chuckled at him, “he’s terrible with people, but he tries hard to make up for mistakes. You’ll figure that out soon enough.”

* * *

 

_The next morning three photographs were created and preserved in digital memory._

_The first was a soft, gentle kiss, little more than a press of lips against skin. A tall man leaned down to press soft lips against his much shorter partner’s nose, calm and serene in the moment as long silver strands fell to create a backdrop to the action. Amused sky, blue eyes watched the taller with fond amusement, lips frozen in a silent laugh for the rest of time._

_The second was a heated, heavy kiss, strong emotions resolving themselves in searching tongues, nipping teeth and grasping exploring hands. Crimson strands were being tugged by pale fingers and as golden ones were grasped in return as the two explored each other with wet, open kisses. Free hands were obvious in their positions, tearing clothes from each other’s bodies._

_The last was a soft, languid thing, two clearly naked forms covered by only a sheet were entangled together, sharing a deep, lazy kiss. Silver hair was spread out on the pillow below while crimson stands stuck to sweat-sticky skin, it obvious the moment was captured in the afterglow of more vigorous activities. The embrace was a lazy, familiar one, clearly showing just how comfortable the two were with each other._

_Each photograph was posted to a different account, each with the same caption though they linked to two other different accounts._

_‘Great night spent with my Boyfriends’_


End file.
